Thursday, January 21, 2016

The 2016 Fantasy Golf Draft Results

Last week we held the 20th version of what is now known as the Fantasy Golf Report's Officially Sanctioned Season Long Fantasy Golf League a/k/a the FGROSSLFGL if you like yourself a good acronym (and who doesn't?). The rules are simple. Draft the six players you think will earn the most total cash in 2016 with an eye on bonuses for winning majors, WGC events and the Players. No two teams can have the same player and Jordan Spieth is ineligible under the Tiger Woods Rule which hadn't been implemented since back in the day when its namesake used to run circles around the field. The results are below (FGR picks are denoted with a "+") and, for those paying attention, the draft order is rigged to give the bottom picks an edge because you could take Rory McIlroy first and a jelly doughnut second and they'd still probably out-earn just about any combination picked at 12-13. We'll throw-in a bit of best pick/worst pick commentary for good measure and, because this topic is really pretty boring and honestly just some late week filler, instead of featuring a picture of a player from each round like a classy golf website would, we'll pay tribute to the corresponding entry in FHM's sexiest of 2015 list.

#1 (Oh don't act so modest)

ROUND 11. Rory McIlroy2. Jason Day3. Dustin Johnson+4. Bubba Watson5. Rickie Fowler6. Justin Rose7. Hideki Matsuyama8. Zach Johnson9. Brooks Koepka10. Patrick Reed11. Brandt Snedeker12. Matt KucharBest Pick: Brooks KoepkaKoepka was ranked third in the FGR's season preview and he's already showed signs of backing that up with a T3 at Kapalua. So did I pick him third when I had the chance? Of course not. I went with the semi-safer pick of Dustin Johnson proving once again that I love a bold prediction right up to the point where my money becomes involved. Worst Pick: NoneYou could argue that Kevin Kisner should've been a first rounder and been picked ahead of Kuchar or Snedeker but that would be open to debate and the last thing we need right now is another debate.

#22 (Blue is my favorite color)

ROUND 2

13. Henrik Stenson14. Kevin Kisner15. Jimmy Walker16. J.B. Holmes17. Danny Lee18. Justin Thomas19. Bill Haas20. Paul Casey21. Adam Scott22. Sergio Garcia+23. Jim Furyk24. Robert StrebBest Pick: Kevin Kisner/Justin ThomasOne or both of these guys is going to light it up this year and finish top five or close to it. I picked Sergio Garcia to go along with D.J. because I apparently hate myself. Worst Pick: J.B. HolmesThis is a tough one because everyone picked in Round 2 has Round 1 potential but, with the 16th pick, you're generally looking for a guy who might land you a major and Holmes has never come closer than a T14 in one and that was five years ago. He did have a T17 at the 2014 U.S. Open but other than that, the last two years have yielded mostly cuts and early Sunday tee times.

#26 (An old FGR favorite)

ROUND 3

25. Webb Simpson26. Steven Bowditch27. Harris English28. Kevin Na29. Louis Oosthuizen30. Phil Mickelson31. Russell Henley32. Charley Hoffman33. Billy Horschel34. Chris Kirk+35. David Lingmerth36. Daniel BergerBest Pick: Billy HorschelThe Russell Henley and Louis Oosthuizen picks were also solid but Horschel has a greater upside as evidenced by his 2014 FedEx Cup run. I took Chris Kirk which was fine. Whatever. No he's not really what I wanted but he's fine. Let's just pay and get the fuck out of here.Worst Pick: Steven BowditchBowditch has a win in each of the last two seasons but, at the top of the third round, taking a guy who has missed twenty-four cuts in his last sixty-eight events is a little dicey.

#41 (Underrated)

ROUND 437. Tony Finau38. Keegan Bradley39. Russell Knox+40. Shane Lowry41. Matt Jones42. Hunter Mahan43. Ryan Palmer44. Ryan Moore45. Brendon DeJonge46. Gary Woodland47. Scott Piercy48. Luke DonaldBest Pick: Tony FinauThe dude can bomb it and putt it which is a nice combination to have. In his first year on tour, he had sixteen top 25's and worked himself into the mix at both the U.S. Open and the PGA Championship to start building some major experience. Let's just say that I was irked when he went two spots before my inevitable Russell Knox pick. If Knox doesn't pan-out for me this year, we're done. And I mean it this time. No more drunk dials or "random" encounters at the Carrabba's in Jacksonville Beach. (Yes I looked-up where he lives and restaurants in that area. There's nothing weird about that. Shut-up).Worst Pick: Shane LowryStrong international player but Round 4 is too early for a guy who only made eight cuts in thirteen tournaments last year. It should come as no surprise that he's already been dropped by the team that picked him in favor of Zach "We Loved You in January" Blair.

#53 (Really underrated)

ROUND 549. Ben Martin50. Branden Grace51. Jason Dufner52. Brendan Steele53. Tiger Woods54. Marc Leishman55. Patrick Rodgers56. Anirban Lahiri57. Shawn Steffani58. Emiliano Grillo+59. Martin Kaymer60. Brendon ToddBest Pick: Emiliano GrilloYou knew I had to start patting myself on the back at some point. For a second there, even I almost didn't even know who I was anymore. Grillo is ranked 32nd in the world and gives every indication that he's going to play a full tour schedule. His win in the fall already qualifies him for the Masters, PGA Championship, Players and Bridgestone. Just a solid all around pick. (Get over yourself).Worst Pick: Tiger WoodsThere's a pretty good chance he's not even going to play this year which would be a shame because nothing livens-up Friday afternoon golf coverage like watching a blimp shot of a cart taking him from the 14th hole back to the clubhouse Ford Bronco style.

#65 (Late round value)

ROUND 661. Boo Weekley62. Smylie Kaufman63. Will Wilcox+64. Morgan Hoffman65. Jason Bohn66. Kevin Streelman67. Nick Watney68. Pat Perez69. Brian Harman70. Charles Howell, III71. Sang Moon Bae72. Charl SchwartzelBest Pick: Smylie KaufmanYou're basically playing with house money in the 6th round so why not let it fly on a kid who's already shown he can win, is 6 for 6 on cuts made and had a respectable finish at Kapalua? Not to mention, Smylie Kaufman sounds like a Jewish gangster and those guys are badass. Worst Pick: Sang Moon BaeBae would have been a steal if not for the fact that he'll be serving in the South Korean military for the next two years. Kim Jong-un would've been a better pick based purely on pedigree. Email the Fantasy Golf Report at fgr@fantasygolfreport.com.